Diversity economics: lunch with David Lomelí

Next to the unique building and setting, Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Program is probably one of the most renowned jewels in the company’s crown. Originally conceived by Founder John Crosby as both a stepping stone to major companies for young American artists, and a way to provide chorus and covers for productions, the Apprentice Program still fulfils both these functions. Now, however, its international prestige means many of its singers are only a few steps away from appearing on the main stage in principal roles themselves. For example, in 2025 tenor Duke Kim is leading as the Duke in Rigoletto, after having last been a Santa Fe apprentice in 2021. In 2025, the Apprentice Program, directed by Chandler Johnson, has 39 singers, whittled down from a staggering 1,000 applicants worldwide.

Coachings, not just on Santa Fe repertoire, but on a singer’s general audition repertoire, are available to apprentices, and I’m heading to a masterclass given by Chief Artistic Officer, David Lomelí. I know David from my time at the Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera, back in 2018. Despite an increasingly busy consulting career, a big part of David’s Santa Fe Opera calendar is dedicated to apprentice workshops.

I’ve met a number of the apprentices already. They seem a collegiate and friendly bunch, necessary as they’ll be together across five productions for three months. David’s advice to them is technical, practical, and often divided into what would work in a USA opera house compared to expectations in Europe. His breadth of knowledge is extensive, but it’s clear the singers value him most as a fellow singer - he’s been there, on some of the biggest stages himself, and knows exactly what it’s like.
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He works with one young tenor on his upper register, trying to keep the sound forward and full. As the notes climb higher, the tenor is sounding good, until he takes his foot off the gas right before the top. David immediately reassures him: ‘Don’t worry about cracking. We all crack.’ Cracking a top note in public is one of a singer’s greatest fears, so for David to normalise it as an unavoidable part of figuring out how to sing is a great way to help a young artist relax (and therefore be much less likely to crack in the first place).

The next day, David and I meet for lunch. We catch up as much as we can on each other’s career adventures before I turn to my questions. David is well-known for his public stance on diversity in casting. He’s Mexican, so he’s walked the walk, and our conversations these days are often about the difficulties of encouraging organisations to walk as far as they talk.
 
A few years ago, David said to me that when he’s trying to make change in an organisation, he feels like he ‘wins’ 51%, maybe 52% of the time. It’s been an open question for him, and for me, as to whether you can live with the fact that such small shifts of the dial often seem to be all that’s possible. Opera companies are big ships to steer, and sustainable change is usually slow - frustrating when the world around you, and society in particular, can change expectations fast.

I ask him about a comment he made on the Destination: Santa Fe podcast. In it, he said his mission is making the highest possible level of art that moves people to do action. So why is that high level of art important?

It’s the impact on the human brain and heart, David says - awe, shock, the way you pay immediate attention to something that’s delivered at the highest level. And it’s not perfect technical execution he means. It’s a high level of heart, of emotional intensity, of artistic quality. Bringing together the highest talent for a common goal is like watching someone break an Olympic record; ‘perfection creates admiration’, he says. 

And it also generates funding. ‘There’s a human sensation that we have [established] in all the years of studying psychology of audiences - people want to be associated with success. So if you are the number one, it’s easier to fundraise than if you’re number twenty-three.’

David’s keen to point out that it’s not all about having a big budget. As long as you are seeking the absolute best for the money you have available, you’re creating a culture to ‘push the buck to the highest calibre’. And then success begets success, potentially leading artists who might be a little out of your league to feel differently about the possibility of working with you.

I’m interested in his comment about wanting to move people to action. What kinds of action does he mean?

Part of it is who you put on stage, David says. He gives the example of the current La Bohème production at Santa Fe. It’s a high quality production, with a diverse cast and a young conductor. Because of the quality that’s been invested in the show, David feels that it has the potential to change the lives of all the young artists performing in it.

But he also wants to make art that’s ‘punchy’. Art that inspires people to connect with the music once they leave the opera, to have it on their playlists, to feel the urge to share it with people they love, perhaps even to reconsider some aspects of their own lives based on the impact of the story they’ve just seen on the stage. 

‘That’s why I’m so high standards when I do things. I love when you’re in a performance and the imperfections (because there’s always imperfections) were not enough to get you out of it. That’s what I want - that’s the type of art. When [an audience members talks] about the technique, I feel like I kind-of fail, a little bit.’

And the Pueblo Opera Program? ‘I think that this is a very good example of phenomenal ideas that have been developed to a point, and now they’re in that phase of, what do we do now?’ He wants to see members of the Pueblo communities in every part of the company - on stage, backstage, operations, leadership. In particular, he’d love to see a Native American ‘fluent in opera’ trained up to lead fundraising initiatives, considering what a key role development plays in the reality of an opera company’s day-to-day. And, of course, a Native American opera on the main stage of Santa Fe.

We finish up with one of my favourite questions. How do you sustain yourself in this work? David divides his work into three categories (which sometimes overlap): work that feeds his personal artistry, work that pays his bills, and work that energises him to continue. ‘If I have crossed paths with you and I’ve left you in a better position to succeed towards your dream, it does feed me, the energy,’ he says. He talks about his recent work with Vincerò Academy, bringing young artists from all over the world to perform on the biggest stage in Paris. He’s unsure whether any of the artists will choose to pursue an international performance career, or if they’ll succeed - but having the concert on their CV will already increase their earning ability as teachers and performers in their own parts of the world. Small steps, he says, but with a cumulative impact over the life of each person.

As someone who thinks largely about the social impact rather than the economics of community engagement, it’s both refreshing and challenging for me to recognise David’s laser-like focus on the economic impacts of his choices. But it’s also useful to consider the ways in which community engagement can be a value-adding proposition.

That’s it for lunch. David’s off to more workshops, I’m off to a Rigoletto staging call, where many of those 39 apprentices will be put to work in small roles and out-of-the-box choreography, led by Maestro Carlo Montanaro, my Master Teacher from Dallas. There’s another Santa Fe storm brewing but it won’t stop rehearsals, despite the fourth wall of each rehearsal hall being open to the elements; there’s no better way to train up the cast for what they might encounter on the mainstage. 

The rewards of working here must outweigh the difficulties though, if the application numbers for the Apprentice Program are anything to go by.